Mosaic In Mexico; An Ancient Tradition

 

Stone mosaic by Juan O'Gorman in Taxco, Guerrero, MX

In the mosaic community, it is widely held that the art of mosaic is an Italian tradition. In fact, many artists trained in the Ravenna or Spilimbergo methods consider the Italian approach to be the only valid way to make, or even define, mosaic. 

To be clear, I did not come to mosaic through classical training. My journey as a mosaic artist was scrappy and mostly self-taught, and I learned the Roman "rules" of mosaic placement reluctantly. I've never been a fan of rules, and I started making mosaic because it was fun. It wasn't my goal to study it or turn it into work. (Yet, here I am, and happy for it.)

I have never been to Italy. I have yet to see the amazing masterpieces my friends visit and share with me. However, I have traveled in Turkey, where the oldest mosaics have been unearthed, and these follow the same general rules as those in Italy. Seeing them in person is truly profound, realizing I am standing in places once occupied by earlier civilizations, imagining the process of the artists as they chopped and sorted and carefully placed these pieces of stone into a remarkably sophisticated composition.

These are in Istanbul.

Thailand is also chock full of mosaic. Their temples and palaces are covered with it. Thai mosaic is typically ornamental, characterized by repeating patterns featuring a lot of mirrored glass and relief tiles. 

My spouse is half Mexican and we have been exploring Mexico for about 12 years now, visiting at least once per year. At first, the mosaic work that caught my attention was very contemporary, mainly made of handmade tiles that had been chopped into smaller pieces. Talavera tiles are the colorfully patterned terracotta tiles typical of Mexico, especially in northern areas. However, in recent years, I've become more aware of the ancient art of mosaic that existed in pre-Hispanic America, separately from Europe. 

Shrine in Valladolid made of Talavera tile, pottery and shells.

Detail

Mayan and Aztec cultures both created funerary masks that were covered in stone mosaic; jade, turquoise, obsidian, etc. With each museum I visit in Mexico, I am struck by the examples of mosaic, many unearthed from ancient times. Most artifacts even use pieces cut into quadrangles and set in the same fashion as ancient Roman mosaic, but many just make use of the natural shapes of the stones or shells.

These are from a disk excavated in Mexico City, believed to be from the 1400s (CE)

Jade mosaic mask - OLD.

This is super old.

This is a mosaic fragment I spotted in a museum in Zacatecas.

This mosaic is in a ruin in Zacatecas state. It is ancient.

This is the only ruin I've come across in MX that is covered in stone mosaic patterns.

 

These are just a few examples of old a.f. mosaics in different parts of MX. 

I had been familiar with the work of Diego Rivera, but until traveling in Mexico, I didn't realize he worked in mosaic, a huge oversight. With every trip, I discover another mosaic made by Diego, often by accident. Plus, I learned that his colleague, Juan O'Gorman was a master of stone mosaic and his work can be found all over MX. 

This is an entire building covered in stone mosaic honoring the deity Tlaloc by Juan O'Gorman. It's on the UNAM campus in Mexico City and is absolutely jaw dropping.

I couldn't photograph this whole mosaic by Diego Rivera in Chapultapec Park, CDMX, so I took a picture of the plaque.

 

This is me with the above sculptural mosaic commemorating water.

On my most recent trip, we found the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya, MX. That center medallion is stone mosaic.

The structures at the Otomi Ceremonial Center are all covered in mosaic (though it could do with a bit of a scrub.)

I have files and files of images of Mexican mosaic, ancient and modern. On my last trip, we visited the Perdomo Smalti facility in Cuernavaca, which is a 70-year-old family-owned business that makes small-batch, hand-rolled glass for mosaic. They also fabricate custom mosaic.

This topic has been swirling in my head for a few years, so I thought I would finally sit down and begin sharing my thoughts and I hope someone out there finds it as interesting as I do. Thanks for reading!

Jennifer Kuhns Mosaic in 2014

What a crazy year!  Here's what happened:

February: Janice Arnold, David Tuthill and I put together a proposal for the new Washington State University commencement mace (Vancouver branch), and it was accepted.  We collaborated and worked together so that it could be delivered on May 1st, with some time to spare before graduation.  David did the metalwork, I did the mosaic, and Janice made a felted display pillow that didn't make it into these photos.

At the end of March, I was commissioned by L'Occitane of Provence to fabricate a stone mosaic floor for a new store.  I was about to leave on a trip to MX, so I had only four days to complete it, but I managed to pack and ship it in time.  It was to be the first of 11 floors that I made for them this year, all different sizes, being installed in stores around the country.  I faced many challenges on these, particularly with crating and shipping, but by the end of summer, I had it down.

One of many stone mosaic floors for L'Occitane stores.  If you see one of these installed, please send me a photo!

I installed this Art Nouveau window and floor for my own front door:

Mosaic floor in entryway, with translucent stained glass mosaic window.

In October, I headed down to the first Contemporary Mosaic Artists conference in Ashland, OR, where my work was included in two exhibits of mosaic art.  It was a chance to connect with other mosaic artists from the West Coast, to be immersed in discussions that no one but a mosaic artist would find interesting, and I took a workshop with Kelley Knickerbocker on creative andamento.

I had to rush back from the conference to finish fabricating a 15.5' x 4.5' mural for L'Occitane.  In the middle of October, I flew to Atlanta, GA to install the mural with the help of Krystie Rose Millich, a Colorado mosaic artist and friend.

Mural of a lavender farm made of stained glass for L'Occitane of Provence in Alpharetta, GA.

This book was released this year, by Kay Christy, featuring a mosaic made specifically for the cover:

Buy this book on Amazon: By clicking here!

My first sculptural mosaic, "Fertility," was chosen for the City of Auburn's Downtown Sculpture Gallery.  It was installed in September and will be on display through August 2015.

Fertility - 24" by 18" featuring birds, flowers and a Tree of Life.

Additionally, I managed to make a few new small pieces in my limited spare time.  Here are a few from 2014:

Dia do los Muertos - 15" x 15" currently available

Bouquet - donated to an auction for Doctors Without Borders, which raised over $18K!

City Visit - Currently available

Frida - a commission

Matryoshka - currently available

Window of Compassion - SOLD!

Shiny Things - currently available

This was my busiest year of all time.  More happened than I can list here.  I taught workshops, continued with my weekly program teaching mosaic to at-risk teens, gave a (very short) speech at the Governor's house in Olympia on behalf of Enterprise for Equity, and dealt with some crazy personal stuff on top of it all.  I'm taking a little break this winter, going to Guadalajara for winter break, then dealing with some medical issues in January.  But already, big plans are coming together for 2015, and I'm excited about the year ahead.